Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre

Evocatively sited amid the East Kent marshes, Richborough is perhaps the most symbolically important of all Roman sites in Britain, witnessing both the beginning and almost the end of Roman rule here. Explore the huge stone walls which mark the site of this Saxon Shore fortress and take a look at the fascinating museum. Catch a boat from Sandwich and reach the fort as the Romans would have done. Please contact site to check times.

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Richborough is a key site in the history of Roman Britain, used during the entire length of the occupation from the invasion of AD 43 until the end of Roman rule in 410.

It developed from an early fortification to a civilian town and port before returning to military use with the building of a Saxon Shore fort as a protection against Saxon raiders.

It has been suggested that the amphitheatre was constructed in the late 3rd century. It provided the inhabitants of the town with a place for entertainments such as wild animal hunts and gladiatorial combat. Romano-British amphitheatres were usually not elaborate structures.

Excavations in 1849 and recent geophysical survey of the area indicate an arena surrounded by sloping banks of mixed clay and mortar, which would probably have been used as a support for wooden seats.